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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28794624">Speak the Language</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RuminantRambling/pseuds/RuminantRambling'>RuminantRambling</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cooking, Fluff, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:48:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,065</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28794624</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RuminantRambling/pseuds/RuminantRambling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>You work in the kitchens. Students are called upon to assist with preparing food.  May as well put them to work.</p>
<p>Warning: flies die</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Speak the Language</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Taking the pots back to the kitchen, you finish cleaning them and begin preparations for dinner.  Chief Chef Martha makes an announcement. One of the professors wants some of the students to come in and help in the kitchens. Martha wants this to work because the kitchen staff gets a break. She picks you to stay behind, you’re the same age as most of them and ‘speak their language’. You gather all of the ingredients and spices out on to the counters. You are halfway into the cabinets pulling out the proper pots and pans for the meal to be prepared. You hear the students coming into the kitchen. A tall redheaded guy and a shorter gray haired guy.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Close the door, you’ll let in flies!” you curse. You hate flies, disgusting bugs.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You quickly and curtly give the students instructions. The redhead, Sylvain, is cutting up the vegetables for the stew. Ashe, the shorter one, is slicing the meat, he will be browning it to add to the stew. You sit on the elevated chair on the side of the room. Martha normally sits there monitoring the progress in the kitchen. You get comfy in the seat of power.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So what’s a beautiful girl like you want to do after work this afternoon?” Sylvain is looking at you with a raised eyebrow.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Less talk, more chop chop!” you curtly reply, pulling daggers out of your pocket and slinging them with perfect accuracy against a board on the far wall that is covered with a wet, sticky liquid that attracts flies. Your weapons have impaled all three evil insects. Sylvain’s eyes go wide as his head bends down and focuses more on the vegetables that are to be cut.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You walk up to Ashe who is stirring the meat in the pan, preparing to add the spices. “If you see it sticking, you can add a bit of oil. This meat is pretty lean, so it doesn’t provide much of its own grease to coat the pan.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sylvain only looks up briefly before returning to chopping carrots. You scoop up the chopped onions using a huge butcher knife. Sylvain moves to the furthest part of the chopping block, just in case. Tossing the onions into the frypan with the meat, you encourage Ashe to keep stirring. You sprinkle salt and pepper on the mixture, splashing a bit more grease into the pan.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You want the onions to cook until you can see through them. A bit of browning on the ends is good, that adds a bit of flavor too.”</p>
<p>Suddenly you spin and fling two daggers at the sticky board, removing two more disgusting flies from the kitchen.</p>
<p>“That was close.” Sylvain whispers.</p>
<p>“Did I hit you?” You chastised.</p>
<p>“No.” he mumbles.</p>
<p>“What’s the problem? Just a few minutes ago you wanted to get close with me, change your mind?” You give him the stink eye, he decides the potatoes really need serious concentration.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You help Ashe move the meat to a huge stewpot. You add the carrots and celery, water and cooking sherry. Ashe fills a muslin bag with spices dropping it in the pot.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Three huge bowls are on the counter now, a large bag of flour.  Ashe measures out the ingredients. You make them wash their hands again as you toss a few more logs into the fire of the oven so it’s hot enough when the bread is ready. You stand at the worktable, the two males follow your every step as you add ingredients to the flour, mixing to create the dough, adding more flour until it is the right consistency. Spreading flour generously on the table you all knead the bread. Ashe is watching you closely, imitating your movements. Sylvain is distracted by making faces in the dough, rolling it into anatomical parts until he hears three more strikes to the sticky board. You put the bread back in the pans covering them with tea towels and set them not far from the oven, where the temperature is warm but not hot.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Stirring the stew, more vegetables are added. The guys are told to wash up the pans that were used for browning the meat. Then they can have a short break waiting for the dough to rise.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>An hour later they return. There is a large stack of bread pans on the counter. You hand Sylvain the olive oil, telling him to generously coat the pans as he has the most experience with it. Sylvain coughs in response.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ashe is told to keep an eye on the stew, stirring every so often. Taking the dough out of the pans the three of you punch it down, working it to the proper consistency until it is ready for the pans. Each bowl is divided into four loaves that must rise again.  The remainder of the vegetables are added to the stew. Once the bread loaves have finished rising it is time to put them in the oven. When done they are removed from the pans and placed in a row. Sylvain takes a knife, trying to cut the warm bread and only succeeds in squashing the bread on the end. You smack him on the back of his hands with the side of your knife, freaking him out a bit…okay, quite a bit.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“NO!. Let me tell you in a way you might understand. Your lover, the bread is crushed under your forceful grabbing.” You grasp your fingers into a quick fist in his face with an angry snap. “Your lover is warm, fresh waiting for your tender touch. First, you must have the right tool for the beloved slicing. A long serrated knife is perfect to caress her. Taking her gently, you lay your beautiful bread on the side. Now she is ready. Long, light and even strokes are given to her, as if you are playing her like a violin. She does not crush, yet she yields her warm and steaming slice for your dining pleasure. Voila.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You turn to Ashe, “For you, Silver Chef. I speak in the language you understand. Turn the loaf on its side, use a serrated edge in a sawing motion, that way you won’t squish the bread.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You would tell Martha tomorrow that the students cooking works fairly well, you just have to know how to speak their language.</p>
<p> </p>
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